The Mill knows what it’s like; one day you’re flavour of the month, next as welcome as flatulence in a spacesuit. And today’s astronaut is Tottenham, who are ready to axe their not-quite midfielder, not-quite defender Eric Dier. It was not long ago that Dier was Spurs’s modern day answer to Dave Mackay, and after he wanged in that free-kick against Russia, things could not have been brighter for the Portuguese-reared 22-year-old. Not any more though. And Chelsea and Bayern Munich are on red a alert as a result. Chelsea would seem like an odd destination, what with Dier’s somewhat hot-headed tackling at the Bridge in last season’s 2-2 draw … but forgive and forget and all that.
Anywho, Chelsea are set for a bumper January transfer window. Dier may be pushing David Luiz out the door for a second time and the Brazilian does depart, the Mill thinks he could do worse than joining his compatriot Oscar in China. You see Oscar is ready to join André Villas-Boas’s Shanghai SIPG for a smooth £60m and who better to help him settle than David Luiz? Meanwhile, the Blues are keeping tabs on Rangers’ youngster Billy Gilmour, as are Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Sticking at the Bridge, and there’s £40m burning a hole in Antonio Conte’s pocket … and it’s going to be flung the way of Southampton, whose Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk is among the Premier Leagues’s hottest properties. He’s another that was rumoured to have a £25m buyout clause so there may be a hint of silly beggars to Southampton’s price tag. One to keep an eye on.
Elsewhere, and Ronald Koeman, emboldened after his withering put-down of Arsène Wenger on Tuesday night, will turn up Manchester United, wheelbarrow in tow, and take both Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin off José Mourinho’s hands. José will thank him kindly. Koeman may have a fight on his hands for Memphis though with Roma also on his tail, but with Kevin Strootman in Everton’s sights, they may yet come to some sort of arrangement.
Wenger can at least take solace in the fact at Olivier Giroud, Francis Coquelin and Mesut Özil are ready to pen new deals at long last but Alexis Sánchez is still playing hard to get. And speaking of the Gunners, fan favourite Jens Lehmann has advised Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp not to drop Loris Karius – at least not until March 5, the day after the Reds hosts the Gunners. In more bad news for Liverpool, Klopp has been told not to waste his time on pursuing the 18-year-old United States winger Christian Pulisic by Borussia Dortmund. This one looks like it may run and run for a season or two yet.
And finally, according to China’s Xinhua news agency, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are bound to end up playing in the Chinese Super League before long, what with all the massive wads of cash on offer. And who is the Mill to argue with that?